City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: JUNE 13, 2023 FROM: CITY CLERK WARDS: ALL
SUBJECT: PUBLIC HEARING - RESHAPE RIVERSIDE REDISTRICTING PROCESS ISSUE:
Conduct a Public Hearing to adopt an Ordinance amending Chapter 1.12 of the Riverside Municipal Code establishing new boundaries for the City Council Wards.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Conduct a Public Hearing on the Reshape Riverside Redistricting process for establishing new ward boundaries; and Adopt an Ordinance amending Riverside Municipal Code Section 1.12 establishing new ward boundaries.
BACKGROUND:
The Reshape Riverside Redistricting Campaign was launched by the City of Riverside in August 2022, as mandated by City Charter §402, which requires a review of ward boundaries every ten years to ensure an equal population in each ward. The resulting redistricting ordinance becomes effective thirty days after its adoption, and the existing ward boundaries are to be used until the new redistricting ordinance is officially implemented.
The Fair Maps Act, defined in the California Elections §21621, outlines detailed requirements related to the Reshape Riverside Redistricting process, which are covered in previous staff reports and presentations.
Fourteen (14) public hearings and discussion items on the Redistricting process were conducted by the City Council and the Inclusiveness, Community Engagement, and Governmental Processes Committee (ICGC) since October 2021. Several draft maps and Community of Interest (COI) testimony were considered by ICGC and City Council during these hearings, and all related staff reports, minutes, and videos can be accessed on www.reshaperiverside.com until the year 2033.
On May 23, 2023, the City Council majority, except Council members Cervantes and Conder, voted affirmatively to introduce an Ordinance for Draft Map A4.A Mt. Rubidoux Edit, for establishing the new ward boundary plan.
Upon adoption of this ordinance, the map will go into effect in 30 days for the purposes of the County Registrar of Voters to begin processing the new lines. The new wards, however, will not go into effect for the purpose of representation until the 2024 (odd wards) and 2026 (even wards) elections.
DISCUSSION:
The final Ward Boundary Map results in a total deviation of 6.7%. The preservation of existing neighborhoods, recognition of COIs, and contiguity of Wards were significant focal points during the ICGC and City Council deliberations. Sixteen (16) neighborhoods are kept together, and eleven (11) are split (with a slight Grand split due to an unusual census block), and the map creates four (4) Majority/Minority Wards in Wards 1, 5, 6 and 7.
The configuration of different neighborhoods, natural barriers, and boundaries within the city made it impossible to satisfy the expressed desire of all COIs submitted while maintaining balanced populations. In the end, many residents will remain in their current wards. However, a small population will be deferred or accelerated regarding their eligibility to vote for the Council member representing their ward.
Deferral refers to a population who should be eligible to vote during the election in 2024 but was moved into a ward that isn’t scheduled to vote until 2026 (they will have to wait six years between city council races). Deferrals occur in Riverside when a portion of an odd ward is moved into an even ward.
Acceleration means populations of people who just voted in the last city council election and are now moved into a ward that is scheduled to vote in the 2024 election (they will be eligible to vote in two years between the city council races). Accelerations occur when a portion of an even ward is moved into an odd ward. Nothing occurs when an odd ward is moved into another odd ward (same for even).
More specifically, the new ward map will defer a population of about 22,870 and accelerate a population of about 27,670. The City Council should determine an appropriate process for communicating with the deferred population until the Municipal election in 2026. Refer to Exhibit 3 for a visible breakdown of the area that will be deferred.
Accelerations and deferrals are a common occurrence during redistrictings, and city staff is already investigating how other cities are managing their delayed residents to ensure proper representation.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:
The City’s Redistricting Plan contributes to the City Council’s Envision 2025 Strategic Plan Priority and Goals:
Community Well-Being – Ensuring safe and inclusive neighborhoods where everyone can thrive with the following goal:
Goal 2.4 Support programs and innovations that enhance community safety, encourage neighborhood engagement, and build public trust: and, High Performing Government – Providing world-class public service that is efficient, accessible, and responsible to all, with the following goals:
Goal 5.2 - Utilize technology, data, and process improvement strategies to increase efficiencies, guide decision making, and ensure services are accessible and distributed equitably throughout all geographic areas of the City.
Goal 5.3 - Enhance communication and collaboration with community members to improve transparency, build public trust, and encourage shared decision-making.
The Redistricting process aligns with the Envision 2025 Cross-Cutting Threads as follows:
Community Trust – The establishment of a redistricting format and the outreach strategy that includes workshops in every ward to draft new ward boundaries are resident-led participation and public input, creating sound policy, inclusive of community engagement in the decision-making process.
Equity – Community members will utilize interactive tools. Some may participate in a redistricting commission to ensure that newly established ward boundaries comply with federal and state laws that encourage equity for all stakeholders.
Fiscal Responsibility – Riverside is a prudent steward of public funds and ensures responsible management of the City's financial resources while providing quality public services to all. The City Clerk's Office is committed to exploring services provided internally instead of consultants and looking for creative ways to reduce the redistricting program's fiscal impact and outreach efforts.
Innovation – Riverside's Redistricting Framework includes a marketing strategy that will consist of non-English languages, including American Sign Language. The redistricting website will host interactive tools promoting collaborative public partnerships with redrawing ward boundaries.
Sustainability & Resiliency – Riverside is committed to meeting the present needs without compromising the needs of the future and ensuring the City's capacity to persevere, adapt and grow during fluctuating times alike. Reviewing the ward boundaries every ten years is essential to maintain sustainable and resilient representation for a more sustainable future.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this report.
Prepared by: Donesia Gause, City Clerk
Susan Wilson, Assistant City Attorney
Approved as to form: Phaedra A. Norton, City Attorney
Attachments:
Map A4.A Mt Rubidoux edits including Overlay
Ordinance
Deferral and Acceleration Map
Presentation
Redistricting Report ● Page 2